There’s nothing Rhode Islanders focus on more during the winter than Rhode Island summers. From the moment the first snowflake touches the ground, the mourning — and planning — begins.
Residents wait with giddy expectation for the state to rouse from its collective hibernation into seaside retreats, stuffed quahogs, and sailing away on the Block Island Ferry.
This month’s “Between the Lines” focuses not on our recent barrage of winter weather, but on the promise of warm summer sun and silky sand between our toes.
“These Summer Storms,” by 16-time New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean, released on July 8, 2025, has most definitely earned its place on my beach blanket.
MacLean departs from romance novels to craft a complex, quirky tale of family, love, and betrayal.
At the risk of sounding cliché (and I’m quite willing to take that risk here), this book truly has everything.
Alice Storm, the novel’s protagonist, gets much more than she bargained for after sharing an Amtrak seat with a handsome stranger on her way back home to Wickford, following her billionaire father’s untimely — but not surprising — death.
At home on fictional Storm Island, Alice reconnects with her mother, Elisabeth, older sister Greta, older brother Sam, and younger sister Emily, and learns that their eccentric and adventuresome father has lured the family into a twisted game to secure their inheritance. And Jack Dean — the stranger from Alice’s train — is the one keeping score.
Storm Island, nestled snugly in Narragansett Bay, is private, lush, and idyllic, hosting a large Tudor-style house surrounded by manicured gardens and charming guest cottages.
Elisabeth, the family’s matriarch, is a leader both sterile and stoic, emotionally unreachable, and categorically unwilling to give of herself. Alice, who left the family five years earlier because of her family’s desire to control her life, silently resigned herself to her mother’s distance and turned her attention instead to her siblings — and Jack.
The nature of the game, in which Dad imposed emotionally difficult tasks on each family member, further incited family tensions.
Alice was asked to simply stay at the house for one week, a task she nearly failed more than once. Jack, who appeared to be an ally, then an adversary, and then an ally again, served to both keep her on the island and repel her from it.
The undeniable attraction between the two, however, served to break down each’s walls.
During the family’s challenging week, bonds (and wills) were pushed beyond their breaking points.
Sam, who had traveled to the island with his wife, Sila, and their children, Saoirse and Oliver, was allowed to speak only during even-numbered hours of the day and had to complete a bevy of ostensibly menial tasks around the island. The dichotomy between ‘son of a billionaire’ and ‘maintenance man’ proved to be too much for his already shaky marriage. He watched his wife and children fly away in the Storms’ helicopter for good.
* ‘Between the Lines’ is a new monthly book review column from freelance reporter Stephanie Bernaba. For the full story, pick up a copy of this week's Independent on newsstands now or purchase a subscription to our E-Edition by clicking here.